A federal judicial committee has urged U.S
A federal judicial committee has urged U.S. District Judge Ada Brown of Dallas to reverse her decision to skip an upcoming interview and explain why she emailed confidential court records to roughly 140 people, reuters.com reported.
Panel Orders Explanation for Leaked Records
The three-judge investigative panel issued an order through the 5th Circuit Judicial Council giving Judge Brown a deadline of October 27 to disclose who is conducting a purported parallel investigation she cited as her reason for refusing to cooperate. The panel also directed her to explain why she transmitted confidential and sealed court documents over the weekend to approximately 140 judges, lawyers, and members of the press.
The committee’s order follows an email sent by Judge Brown after 1 a.m. on Saturday. In that message, she rejected a request to sit for an interview scheduled for October 30 as part of an ongoing judicial misconduct inquiry into her recent conduct. Judge Brown claimed that participating would compromise an outside investigation independent of the Fifth Circuit. The committee stated it had no knowledge of any such parallel probe.
Background of the Misconduct Inquiry
The investigation began after the committee concluded that Judge Brown had abandoned her post and likely suffers from a mental condition affecting her ability to carry out her official responsibilities. Investigators pointed to bizarre emails and racial insults. Those findings prompted the committee to take the rare step on September 21 of ordering Judge Brown to undergo a psychiatric examination within 30 days. Shortly after, the judicial council ordered her active cases reassigned and barred new case assignments.
Following her refusal to participate in the scheduled interview, Judge Brown distributed records from the confidential misconduct proceedings against her along with files from two unrelated attorney-discipline matters. The committee warned that failure to comply with its directives by October 27 could lead investigators to expand the scope of their inquiry. The panel also noted it would examine whether her refusal to cooperate constitutes independent misconduct.
The committee is comprised of Chief U.S. Circuit Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod, who initiated one of the misconduct complaints against Judge Brown; U.S. Circuit Judge James Graves; and Chief U.S. District Judge Alia Moses of the Western District of Texas. Judge Brown was appointed to the bench by President Donald Trump during his first term and has not responded to requests for comment.
Judge Brown Faces October Deadlines for Investigation Details
Judge Brown faces an October 27 deadline to provide details regarding the outside investigation and her transmission of sealed documents. The previously requested interview remains scheduled for October 30, though her participation is now in doubt following her weekend refusal. If she continues to withhold cooperation, the panel warned it will complete its investigation and issue recommendations to the judicial council without her input.